Housetop - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Housetop

[ 1,,G1430, doma ]
akin to demo, to build," denotes a housetop. The housetop was flat, and guarded by a low parapet wall (See Deuteronomy 22:8). It was much frequented and used for various purposes, e.g., for proclamations, Matthew 10:27; Luke 12:3; for prayer, Acts 10:9. The house was often built round a court, across the top of which cords were fixed from the parapet walls for supporting a covering from the heat. The housetop could be reached by stairs outside the building; the paralytic in Luke 5:19 could be let down into the court or area by rolling back the covering. External flight from the housetop in time or danger is enjoined in Matthew 24:17; Mark 13:15; Luke 17:31.